Story

Today we decided to give Arches a second try but earlier, when there are not massive hordes of toursists all over the park. We had an extraordinary time! We first visited the Windows were there were no people at all and had a pleasant, but extremely fast paced hike as we took pictures of the window arches. Afterwards we headed over to the Delicate Arch where we were faced with a decision. To simply use the overlook of the arch or do a hike up a sheer rock face to stand right next to the cliff. We almost chose incorrectly and were thinking about doing the overlook for time’s sake. However in the end the hiker’s spirit won and we decided to make the trek to the arch. It was a decision we will never regret. ...

After last nights flat tire we were left behind schedule in Escalante instead of Moab for the night. As a result we had a lot of ground to make up tonight and did three national parks in one day. The first was Capitol Reef, a national park full of brightly colored cliffs, beautiful aspens, and petroglyphs. We saw many cool things in this park. The first was a little hidden cliff dwelling. I am not sure whether this is ancient (I doubt it) or something someone just decided would be cool to make but either way it was really interesting and cool. ...

Bryce was the next, highly anticipated stop on our trip. I have never been there before but my mom and dad rave about how beautiful and breathtakingly awesome this national park is. So naturally we went, because I am a national park spoiled brat. We were able to experience our first real wildlife besides lizards and a few sparse chipmunks. There were pronghorn antelope all over Bryce and they were relatively close to the road as well. ...

Today I started out my morning on the rim of Bryce Canyon watching the sun slowly surmount the hoodoos and cliffs of Bryce in an amazing sunrise. After that we headed next door to Grand Staircase Escalante National Park for some amazing views and hikes. So we went outbacking in our lovely Outback. Our first hike of the day was at Willis Creek Trail, this turned out to be an amazing hike along a river that cuts through a slot like canyon. It was awe inspiring and I have never seen anything quite like it. ...

You thought our day was over? Nope, not even close. We then headed over to the next part of the national park to go try and see some more slot canyons called Peek-A-Boo Canyon and Spooky Canyon. From the top of the trail it was pretty unassuming. Little did we know that we had to climb far down to reach the bottom of a canyon in one hundred degree weather only then to reach the slot canyons. It was brutal sliding down the cliff knowing that later I would have to climb back up them with the sun beating down on my back. ...

Today was our first real day of adventure on our Utah road trip. Our very first destination was the upper section of Zion National Park called the Kolob Canyons. Sadly the lighting was terrible so I couldn’t get great photos of the terrific landscapes that were all around us. There were giant canyons with walls seemingly stretching to the skies and rivers that paved roads for giants. It was quite the sight and to enhance the experience we decided to take a hike up Taylor Creek. A nice six mile hike along a river that eventually ends at a double blind arch. ...

Today was a driving day. With each days goal in mind we have set out again on another road trip to try to grasp just one corner of nature’s beauty and try to hold onto it. AS always, our beautiful country has so many wonders it is near impossible to see them all. But that will never deter my attempts. The following week my mother and I will be doing a road trip around all of southern Utah, seeing national parks, hiking, running, photographing, and having a generally awesome time together in the desert sun. ...

This year’s Memorial Day Criterium is also the NCNCA Junior State Championships. It’s not a surprise to see Jack leading the pack in the 13-14 group. He eventually won it, but Adrien from Gabe’s SJBC team did an awesome job staying right on his tail and eventually getting second place. Now it’s time for the 15-16 age group to roll. Zeke, Tim, and Gabe will be working together to help Zeke lock in his Junior Points Series (JPS) win. Henry from Tieni Duro broke away early as he often does, but this time none of the other teams were willing to work together to chase him down. SJBC had their plan, Tieni Duro certainly wasn’t going to chase, and Matt from Specialized was on his own. I’m sure it was frustrating for a number of the riders, but big kudos to Henry for winning state. ...

The Mt Hamilton Classic road race is an epic ride, and Gabe has come to give it his best. It’s far and away the longest climb he’s ever done, more like 3 of the usual mountain climbs right in a row followed by lots more climbs on the other side of the mountain. We’ve got the lucky hat, the magical dog, and plenty of time to warm up. It’s a beautiful day for the climb out of San Jose, and there’s no shortage of climbing specialists ready for action. Charlotte and I head out to Livermore to hang out while Gabe is visiting the pain cave. ...

Yesterday’s stage of the Tour of California was a blast, so Charlotte and I are back on the road to watch the riders leave Seaside for the long ride out to Paso Robles today. Bob Roll is here too along with plenty of bikes. Gabe is in school, so unfortunately he’s not able to collect more autographs for his hat. Plenty of great riders getting ready to roll from Radio Shack, Garmin, Rabobank, and BMC. The start is so much quieter than in Livermore, almost a bit like rolling out on a small training ride. Livermore sure did a great job yesterday. ...